pentacle
/ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.93 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A flat talisman, almost always star-shaped, made of parchment, sheet metal, or other substance, marked with a magic symbol or symbols, used in magical evocation.
noun
Example Sentences
- "ouer this pott and the cyrcle hold the pentacles, and perfume them; and say deuoutly theis psalmes followynge"
- "of the same pentacles be certayne exorcizmes and names ineffable and carecters and signes of all the science, therefore, in them the whole science of all this art lyeth hydd"
- "if ye constraine any spirit to come before you and when ye haue shewed him ye secret pentacles, there is none dare say against your minde"
- "he drew a pentacle or five-pointed star."
- "a five-pointed star (pentacle)."
- "the figure of the pentacle, or pentagram."
Etymology
PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentacle, from Old French pentacol (“pendant”), from pent (“hangs”), a (“from”), and col (“neck”), thus "hangs from neck". Likely reanalyzed in medieval times as coming from penta- (“five”) and -culum (object forming suffix), as evidenced by the Latinized form pentaculum and the narrowing of the modern sense to a five-pointed design, especially a pentagram.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: pentacle, pentacol
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/